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Explorer of the Seas - Eastern Caribbean

Sail Date:
June 2005

Destination:
Eastern Caribbean

Embarkation:
Miami

My wife and I just got back from our 7 night cruise. Overall we had a very good time. Embarkment took about an hour and we boarded the ship around noon. The ship itself was in great shape. I saw no significant flaws or worn parts as the last reviewer did. We had an inside cabin and this was adequate. The cabin was small but the spacing and organization of the room left us with adequate space and usability.

The ship was beautiful and offered a lot of activities. The shows in the night club were excellent. The coasters were booked for one night and they were a lot of fun. The ship was full for this cruise and it felt it. Even thought the ship is huge 3600 people got a bit crowded in the atrium and around the pool area. The food was fair. It wasn't bad but wasn't great. We have gone on Carnival a few times and I think their food overall was much better. The staff seemed in good spirits and we got excellent service overall.

Our first port was San Juan. We did a walking More
tour of the city and visited El Morro. The city was nice and we had a pleasant time. There is not much to do besides walking around and seeing the sites.

St. Maarten was our next port. We went to Orient Beach. The beach was very nice. We hiked to the nude end and there was a sea of naked people. There were so many, it was actually a bit unsettling. Most were older and seemed comfortable in their skins. We did some shopping down town as well.

Our next port was St. Thomas. We went to St. John which was beautiful. Unfortunately, between the taxi and ferry it takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get there and then get back. That kills a lot of your time. We went to Trunk Bay and it was gorgeous. We did some snorkeling and laying around. We ended up shopping and eating at a nice restaurant outside near the docks. Very nice time.

Next was Nassau. We went to Senor Frogs and spent the rest of the time shopping. The town itself is no big deal. The vendors were also kinda rude. We went to the straw market. The original straw market burnt down and the temporary one is housed in cramped quarters. We bargained for a few things but the vendors seemed cranky and unwilling to deal so we left. Most people we talked to had negative experiences. The people overall were rude. The only good things we heard were from those who went over to see the Atlantis resort. They said it was beautiful even though they were unable to do anything there because they were not guests.

Getting off the ship was a drag. Something was wrong with the computers at immigration and it took about 2 hours to debark.

Overall it was a great time and beautiful ship. I would recommend the cruise. Next time we might try the "next level" such as Princess or Crystal. We did RCCL because there is a lot to do and the people are mostly in there 20, 30 and 40s. Less